LAWFUEL – Europe Law News – Alexander Schaub, most recently Director General for Internal Market and Services and formerly Director General for Competition with the European Commission, is to join international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Dr Schaub will join the firm’s Brussels office as Of Counsel on 1 February 2007.
After more than 30 years in a number of senior positions with the European Commission, Dr Schaub retired recently as Director General for Internal Market and Services, which coordinates the Commission’s overall policy on the European Single Market.
At Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, he will provide strategic advice to the firm’s clients on a wide range of issues of European law and policy across a number of practice areas and geographies, working alongside Horst Günter Krenzler, an ex-Director General of External Affairs at the European Commission, who joined the Freshfields as of counsel in 1996.
‘Alex’s arrival will give our clients and our team access to an individual who has been involved at the most senior levels of policy making in the EU. He brings a unique insight, particularly in relation to issues of globalisation, and the relationships between the EU, the US, Japan and China,’ said Frank Montag, Brussels-based antitrust, competition and trade partner.
‘Alex was one of the key European regulators and is among the most highly regarded individuals in a wide range of European policy areas, both in the EU and internationally. His expertise in, for example, financial services, public procurement and IP rights as well as in competition and trade will be invaluable to our clients in Asia and the US, as well as in Europe. We are very much looking forward to working with him and welcoming him into our team,’ he said.
‘I have known Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and a number of the firm’s lawyers for many years. Their strength in the competition area in particular, and the depth of Freshfields’ other practices across key worldwide markets, is impressive. It is a world class team and an exciting opportunity for me to work with their prestigious clients on cutting-edge problems of European law and policy,’ said Alexander Schaub.
Profile
Dr Alexander Schaub (65) has worked for more than thirty years in a number of senior positions with the European Commission in Brussels. He retired in June 2006 as Director General for Internal Market and Services. This directorate coordinates the Commission’s overall policy on the European Single Market. From 1995-2002, as Director General for Competition, Dr Schaub reported to Commissioners Karel van Miert and Mario Monti, holding one of the most influential jobs in the Commission.
Dr Schaub studied Law and Economics at the Universities of Freiburg, Lausanne, Cologne and Bonn and spent a post-graduate year at the College of Europe in Bruges. From 1971 he was with the Federal Ministry of Economics in Bonn and in 1973 he began his career with the Commission of the European Communities. In 1989 he moved to the Directorate-General for External Relations and Trade Policy as the director responsible for trade related questions in the industrial sector and EC representative for textile negotiations in the Uruguay Round. Between 1990 and 1995 he was Deputy Director-General for Internal Market and Industrial Affairs and then for Industry.
Dr Schaub has participated in many economic summits and meetings of the European Council. He has published a book on the European Parliament and a number of articles on competition, trade, economic and financial topics.
